The Strand Climb
- long (2.5 km)
- 1.5 mi
- long (2.5 km)
- of climbing (181 m)
- 594 ft
- of climbing (181 m)
- average grade
- 7.3%
- average grade
- steepest 500 m
- 8%
- steepest 500 m
Elevation profile
From 5,873 ft at the bottom to 6,467 ft at the top. Grades are averaged over each half kilometre, from USGS elevation data, so short ramps can be steeper than they show.
Weather at the top of The Strand this week
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Is it safe to bike up The Strand?
We don't rate roads as safe or unsafe: crash counts can't say how risky a ride is, and roads people like to ride draw more riders, so they see more crashes. What the records show: no bike crashes were reported along the climb from 2021–2025.
Common questions about The Strand
- How long and steep is the The Strand climb?
- 1.5 miles (2.5 km) at 7.3% on average, climbing 594 ft (181 m) from 5,873 ft to 6,467 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 8%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.
- Where does the climb start and finish?
- It starts at 39.3523, -120.10469, where The Strand leaves Glenshire Drive, and tops out at Tewksbury Drive at 39.33743, -120.09154.
- Is The Strand paved?
- Yes, by its OpenStreetMap tags.
- How is the category worked out?
- From the climb's shape only: length in metres × average grade (%) of 16,000 or more for Cat 3, 32,000 for Cat 2, 64,000 for Cat 1 and 80,000 for HC. It describes how hard the climb is, not traffic or crashes.
- Where does this data come from?
- The climb is found from OpenStreetMap roads and USGS 3DEP elevation (every climb, not a list of famous ones). Access is from OpenStreetMap tags; gates and closures change, so obey posted signs. Crash counts are police reports in the California Crash Reporting System (CCRS) on data.ca.gov, counted where their map location is within 100 ft of the climb. The forecast is from the National Weather Service.
Other climbs nearby
- Somerset Drive near TruckeeCat 3 · 2.2 mi at 4.8% · 564 ft · starts 0.8 mi away
- Alder Creek Road from Stony Creek CourtCat 3 · 5.1 mi at 3.1% · 850 ft · starts 4.4 mi away
- Highlands View RoadCat 3 · 2.7 mi at 4.2% · 607 ft · starts 4.9 mi away
- Martis Peak RoadCat 2 · 4.0 mi at 8% · 1,699 ft · starts 6.1 mi away
- Northwoods BoulevardCat 3 · 4.3 mi at 3.3% · 755 ft · starts 6.3 mi away
- Mount Watson Boulevard from Sawmill FlatCat 3 · 3.0 mi at 4.8% · 748 ft · starts 7.0 mi away
- Ski Slope Way from Springbrook PlaceCat 3 · 2.2 mi at 7.1% · 827 ft · starts 7.9 mi away
- Ski Slope Way from Christie LaneCat 3 · 2.1 mi at 6.6% · 722 ft · starts 8.0 mi away
Places to ride to nearby
Bike crash hotspots nearby
Found from OpenStreetMap roads and USGS 3DEP elevation; ranked on shape only. Category 3: length in metres × average grade (%) of 16,000 or more for Cat 3, 32,000 for Cat 2, 64,000 for Cat 1 and 80,000 for HC. It describes how hard the climb is, not traffic or crashes. Crashes: bike crashes reported within 100 ft of the climb, 2021–2025, from the California Crash Reporting System (CCRS), counted only where the report has map coordinates. Weather: National Weather Service. Access from OpenStreetMap tags; obey posted signs. How the data works.